Why does Michigan downplay the rivalry with State?

Submitted by Blue and Joe on

I've lived in the Lansing area all my life. Some of my best friends are huge MSU fans. Most of my family members are MSU fans. For these reasons, and many more, I have grown up to despise Sparty more than our rival down south.

I completely understand that OSU is our biggest rival, but what I don't understand is the nonchallant attitude the football program has towards MSU. During the week we get polite comments and compliments for their players and coaching staff. Meanwhile the word out of EL is how much they hate us and want to beat us.

When Saturday comes along the result on the field is reminscent of the attitude during the week. MSU plays like a team hellbent on kicking our asses. We play like every other game: not good.

Why is it so hard for us to bring even a fraction of the hatred we have for OSU to a game against MSU? For a program that prides itself on having important rivalries we seem to forget all but one. All I want is to see some fire and passion on that sideline on Saturday.

EDIT: A lot of people are pointing to history and past dominance. While true, I think that is a terrible reason. Right now they are kicking our asses. Last year we showed up against OSU with a great gameplan. We were actually prepared. I want to see that for more than just one game a year.

EDIT 2: After writing that I am seeing that my question is actually "why doesn't Michigan ever appear to be prepared for games against not-OSU?" Which is why Hoke will be out of a job at the end of this season.

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October 21st, 2014 at 7:10 PM ^

I feel we really didn't appreciate the rivalry and the success we had prior to 2007. MSU had some really good teams under Daugherty and I'm sure it wasn't too disimilar to today. Sure, Michigan won a bunch of games  after that and it was fun to dismiss MSU just to get a rise. Now the shoe is on the other foot and some of my MSU friends are now dismissive towards the Michigan/Michigan State game as "just another game". Now I know they don't mean its actually worse than them getting amped up for the game. 

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You Only Live Twice

October 21st, 2014 at 9:05 PM ^

seeing where your point total comes from.. 20 million duplicate posts

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uncleFred

October 21st, 2014 at 7:48 PM ^

and never hase been. 

Rivalries aren't about a few wins in a row. Rivalries are about playing competitve games over decades. When I was a student MSU was a speed bump on the way to "the game". MSU has had a few runs, lately and in the sixties but they'd have to win what 30 games in a row to balance the scales? 

MSU has a good team, and they have built the foundations of a good program, but can they maintain it for the next few dacades? Michigan is in a slump, but has proven over a span of more than a century that it can build and maintain a foundation for dominant football. 

Odds are that Michigan will lose Saturday, but that outcome is far from certain. Even if Michigan loses, it has been rebuilding a foundation for dominance, and whether with Hoke or the next guy, will cash in on that discipline and reestablish a short term winning record to match the long term record. Not because MSU will receed or stumble, but because Michigan has structural advantages that. over the long haul, MSU can't match.

 

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jdon

October 21st, 2014 at 8:16 PM ^

under hoke this team has lacked that killer instinct for any matchup outside of OSU.  In fact I would argue that we don't play with any inspiration at all... and we haven't in  years.

Rich Rods teams were ignorant and hesitant.

Hokers are JAGs

And even Carr's in the end were little more than overly talented teams going through the motions.

 

Not since 2000 have we had a team that really felt immediate                                                           

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DrewGOBLUE

October 21st, 2014 at 9:40 PM ^

We hear a ton of hate expressed by the MSU side for reasons that extend beyond just football. They know their university is shadowed by Michigan in almost all facets. For that reason, they are driven by added feelings of vitriol to want to beat us. Plus, dare I say, most MSU students and alumni that applied to both schools to begin with, probably didn't actually have a choice to make at the end of the day. And that seems to contribute to their greater animosity.

Not at all trying to sound arrogant here or take anything away from MSU as a school. But this is just how it is.

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dwags

October 22nd, 2014 at 7:19 AM ^

1. We're not your rivals! Just keep telling yourselves that 2. Dan Fricken Tonio. You will never have someone on your sidelines who is more passionate about this game than him. Ever. 3. MSU is at the point where most people just chuckle about you guys whistling past the graveyard. "Little brother" "we don't care about them". "They only want to beat us". All tired meme's that a beaten fan base regularly use which are 100% false. You guys keep saying what makes you comfortable and let's you sleep at night Dantonio will keep building it. We love beating UofM when you were significant and now even when nobody cares about your program. Say what you will about that, but we live it.

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saveferris

October 22nd, 2014 at 8:43 AM ^

The reason is because MSU as a "rival" is not a real threat.  When you look at the history between these two programs, when Michigan is competently managed / coached, MSU's performance is about a win every 3 or 4 seasons.  That's consistent.  Over DECADES of games played.  Take away the 1950's to the 60's and the present, where Michigan football was a mess, and Sparty never competes with us.

It's a different story with OSU.  There are eras where we are dominant, where they are dominant and where were are equal, but it swings back and forth and it doens't necessarily follow a predictable pattern.  OSU is a threat.  We will always be in a struggle against them to be as good or better than them. 

Bottom line, and this is what the Valentis and the rest of the Sparty brahs always want to downplay, is that the recruiting and talent gap between Michigan and MSU is a real thing.  Michigan always recruits better talent than MSU and more oftern than not we squeeze the best out of that talent.  This is why the national narrative around MSU is less about how they've risen to the ranks of the elite than how far the Big 10 as a conference has fallen.  MSU being 6-1 is not so impressive when Penn State is awful.  Michigan is awful.  Nebraska is awful.

This also is what makes Sparty insufferable when they're winning.  This is why you get incidents like the Night of the Juggalos of a few years ago.  Because deep down the brahs all know that such success for them is fleeting and they have to make hay while they can....because eventually they turn back into pumpkins.  It's not a question of "if" but of "when". 

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chatster

October 22nd, 2014 at 9:54 AM ^

Besides MGoBlog, my only connection to the Michigan family is through a child with two degrees from Michigan and a significantly depleted net worth thanks to my child being an out-of-state student who didn’t qualify for need-based financial aid.  So it’s somewhat hard for me to feel more invested in the outcome of a Michigan-Michigan State game than a Michigan-Appalachian State game.  I just root for Michigan to win.
 
Since I began paying for the cost of my child’s University of Michigan degrees, I just root for Michigan to win, regardless of the opponent, and whatever the sport – except on those rare occasions when Michigan competes against the school from which I graduated or the school from which my other child graduated, although a Michigan win in those circumstances doesn’t cause me much pain, because I can take some pleasure in my child’s enjoyment of a Michigan win.
 
Regardless of whether Michigan football coaches, players, alumni, students and fans view Michigan State as seriously as they should as a “rival” for the affections of people who live in or who were raised in Michigan, their supposed nonchalance towards Michigan State may be understandable, considering the long history of Michigan’s dominance in the series.  But when you consider Michigan’s poor performances in the football “rivalry” in recent years, as an outsider, I would think that there should be elevated motivation for Michigan in this Saturday’s game.
 
A win by a Michigan team that has been playing like one of the worst Michigan football teams of the past 50 years (possibly on pace to join the 1965, 1967, 2008 and 2009 teams as the only Michigan teams with losing records in that period) probably would be considered one of the greatest upsets in the history of the series.  Think of Saturday’s game as if it’s Average Joe’s vs. Globo Gym before the underdogs were motivated to victory by the inspirational ramblings of the late, great Patches O’Houlihan (for those familiar with the film, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.)
 
So, on Friday night, if there are any true leaders among the coaches and players on Michigan Football Team 135, let them step up and say, Tomorrow, we're gonna pecker-slap those Globo-Gym bastards!
 
Any other questions?

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